Behind The Facade
by DivaDaddyGoGirl
Summary: With the stress of exams and trying to get into Julliard, Sharpay is depressed as she struggles to find herself and re-gain old friends. Can Jimmie Zara be able to help her find happiness in her last year despite her troubles? All of HSM gang included.
1. Chapter 1

"You don't mind if I go visit with the girls, do you Shar," Ryan Evans asked, slightly concerned for the well-being of his sister. Sharpay had been acting weirdly lately. Normally she would have an up beat and determined demeanor, but for the past weeks she was the very opposite. She always had a sad expression on her face. Sharpay even seemed to have lost her well known enthusiasm for drama. Something had to be wrong.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That's fine," she replied, startled out of her thoughts.

"Okay, I'll be back," he said, walking over to a red cafeteria table filled with the familiar faces of their wildcat classmates. Sharpay watched her brother leave to visit with his friends, secretly wishing she could have his fortune.

For three years, she was the "it" girl of East High School. She was always known as one of the prettiest, coolest, and richest upper classmen of her class. It was just unusual how she felt like that wasn't enough. Deep inside, she felt like there was a hole eating away at her. There was nothing she didn't try to do to fill the bottomless pit of insecurity in her chest. She constantly went shopping at the East Charter mall for earrings, hats, boots, and skirts, desperately hoping that her passion for fashion would relieve these feelings.

She took another sorrowful glance at Ryan, who was standing with his friends. He was so happy and cheerful all the time. The only time a smile would be wiped off his face was when she made him help her do "dirty work" that always backfired and blew-up in their faces.

* * *

About five tables away, slightly seated in the corner, sat Jimmie "The Rocket" Zara and his best bud, Donnie Dion. Every once and again Jimmie would glance over at Sharpay. He couldn't help himself, for he liked looking at her. She was a fine and sweet piece of eye candy.

"Dude, pay attention here," Donnie said clapping his hands in Jimmie's face. "Check out the girls later. I'm trying to come up with a plan for you to get big and entertain everybody in the school," he shouted.

Jimmie laughed and smiled at him. "Lay it on me."

"Okay, well you should bust out your guitar one morning, while everyone is in class. Youll be jamin so loud that everyone has to come out and see what's going on." Donnie was filled with hopeful anticipation.

"Yeah man, that sounds awesome," Jimmie laughed, bumping fists with Donnie. "Maybe Troy will see and be impressed. And you know what that means."

"We get first dibs on their gym lockers man. Soon we'll be shooting our way to the top."

* * *

"Come on Gabby, please," Ryan pestered as he pulled on the sleeve of Gabriella Montez's white blouse.

She, Taylor, Kelsie, and Martha started laughing uncontrollably. "Yeah right," she snickered. "There is no way that I'm going to try to be friends with your sister. Besides, she seems perfectly fine to me."

Ryan looked back at Sharpay, who was sitting alone, poking at her tuna salad with her fork. Her was face downtrodden as she repeatedly stabbed at her plate. "I really don't think so. I've never seen her like this before. What she really needs right now are some friends." He was hoping that he could convince Gabriella to comfort Sharpay. Gabriella was the fort that held the group together. If anyone could convince others to join in on helping out Sharpay, it would be her.

Gabriella slowly stopped giggling and started to get serious about the subject. "You're really worried about her, aren't you? It's quite scary."

"The thing is that we've always tried to be nice to Sharpay. We've always forgive her for the wrongs she dealt us, but enough is enough," Taylor McKessie interrupted, trying to control the angry tone in her voice.

Ryan nodded. They weren't giving in, so it was time for him to pull out the big guns. "Kelsie….," he begged, trying to widen his eyes to gain sympathy from her.

Kelsie nearly choked on her meatloaf. Was he joking? It was Sharpay for goodness sake! Did he forget how she constantly would take her music and change its tempo and romantic meaning? Did he not remember how Sharpay would always boss her around, as if that wasn't Tiara Gold's job?

"How does Sharpay feel about you recruiting friends for her," Martha asked, an inquisitive smile creeping across her face.

"We are on a need to know basis, and this is something she doesn't need to know about." Everyone laughed, except Gabriella, who was feeling a little convicted.

* * *

Suddenly, the bell rang ending lunch period. Sharpay stood up, ready to leave, but turned around to face a rather quirky looking younger boy, with slick black hair poking out of his beanie hat. "Hey babe, fancy meeting you here again," he said.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't have time for this right now, skater boy."

"Actually, it's Rocket Man. Jim-," he began, only to be cut off when Sharpay rudely walked away. He sighed to himself. It was really hard getting the attention of _the_ Sharpay Evans, and holding her interest for long.

Little did either of them know that Gabriella and Ryan both saw their minor interaction from afar. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking," Gabriella asked Ryan.

"No."

"Well I've got an idea," she said, pulling him closer.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Sharpay tried to follow Ryan out of their homeroom class. "Hey Sharpay, how ya doing," Troy Bolton asked, blocking the doorway so Sharpay couldn't exit.

"Hey, Troy. I'm great now that you're talking to me," she flirted. Ever since the tenth grade, she had an obvious crush on him. She remembered she had the same English class with him that year. After finding out that he played basketball, she would sneak into the gym to watch him practice with his team, admiring his determination and athleticism. The next two years, she continued to have the same homeroom with him, Ms. Darbus's class.

Even though she assumed that no one could feel the same way about Troy that she did, he still chose someone else over her. No matter how hard she tried, he didn't want her, but maybe her luck was finally about to change.

"So what do I owe this lovely visit," she asked, eyes sparkling because this was the first time that he came to speak with her, instead of the other way around.

"A date," he said harried.

Sharpay's eyes widened so far that she almost hurt herself. Her mouth fell agape in utter shock. "You want a date with me?" Her voice quavered with disbelief. Her luck was definitely about to change.

"Yeah, be at Antonio's Pizza tomorrow at five." With that, he flashed one of his charming smiles at her and quickly trotted off before she could ask anymore questions. He didn't want to hint at the surprise to come, or else everything would be ruined.

* * *

Jimmie flashed his version of Troy Bolton's trademark smile at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. He was dressed semi-formally, wearing a white button up shirt, with slick black dress pants, and fancy shoes. He had combed his hair several times to create the perfect wavy, yet neat effect. He was now deciding on whether or not to wear a tie.

"Don't you think you're taking this date with Sharpay a little too seriously," Donny asked from Jimmie's bedroom, which lay adjacent to the bathroom. He had been watching his best friend obese over ever little detail he put into creating the perfect look to impress Sharpay with.

"Dude, if the girl you liked suddenly wanted to go on a date with you, wouldn't you want to do everything you could to make sure you didn't scare her off tonight?" Jimmie smiled. He had spent all of yesterday trying hard not to jump up and down in girlish giddiness when he found out that Sharpay had an interest in him. She wasn't just any pretty girl. Sharpay was the most beautiful young lady he had ever tried to hit on. After months of trying to get her to notice him, something finally clicked.

"Whatever, but this whole thing seems fishy to me. Haven't you heard the horror stories about how Sharpay would manipulate people? Are you sure she isn't just using you?"

Jimmie placed the tie he was holding on the sink and turned to face Donny. "And what would she even be using me for, might I ask?"

Donny started laughing. "She is probably using you to get closer to Troy Bolton! How could you not have figured that out?" He hunched over still laughing at the air headedness of his friend. Jimmie turned back to the mirror angrily, and wrapped the tie around his neck.

"That may be so," he thought. "But this is the one thing Troy Bolton doesn't deserve." Even with this slight doubt in his mind, he remembered how odd it would be for this date to be a trick, after all Gabriella was the one that told him Sharpay wanted a secret date with him.

_"A secret crush on me? Really?" Jimmie was overwhelmed with joy. _

_"Shh! be quieter, I don't want anyone to hear us," Gabriella whispered to him. Both students were in the library, hiding behind a bookshelf located in the back corner. Gabriella had left a note for Jimmie in his locker to meet her there, so that she could talk to him about something very private. Jimmie assumed she was going to tell him that Troy wanted him to be a substitute captain for the basketball team that day or something Troy related. _

_"Yeah, she told me so," Gabriella continued._

_"Wait. Why would she tell you? I thought she didn't like you." _

_At this question, Gabriella was stumped. She hadn't anticipated him being skeptical. Her heart started to pound as she lied. "Well, she wanted me to tell Troy to tell you all this, but I thought it would be much simpler if I just told you myself. You know, with Troy being so busy with college stuff and all."_

_Jimmie's eyebrows furrowed as he considered the information. Looking up with happy anticipation in his eyes, he blurted, "What should I do now? Do I go to her? What do I say? Is she interested in a relationship? Or does she just want a senior year fling?"_

_"Calm down. She said for you to meet her at Antonio's Pizza tomorrow at five, okay?"_

_He took a deep breath in and exhaled, relieved that he didn't have to make the first move again. There were too many things he had to do before going on this date with her. Before running off to tell Donny, he gave Gabriella a hug. When he left, Gabriella's voice could be heard indistinctly whispering into her cell phone to Ryan. "I've done my part," she said. _

* * *

Sharapy had spent a great deal of time preparing her appearance for the date as well. She had fluffed her hair, applied lip gloss, waxed, and exfoliated. Nothing was to be left undone. This was a big opportunity for her to get things right with Troy. She was even willingly to bum her style of dress down to match Troy. Instead of wearing an ostentatious outfit, she settled for a pink blouse, and a matching, skirt with flowers printed on it.

She sat at a small booth along the wall of Antonio's Pizza waiting nervously for Troy. What made him change his mind about her all of a sudden? What about Gabriella? It was 4: 50, and she started fiddling with her fingers, waiting.

"Um, Shar-Shar-Sharpay," she heard a voice above her. The voice sounded familiar, but she didn't recognize it as belonging to Troy. Despite that fact, she eagerly looked up, hoping it was Troy. However, her heart dropped with embarrassment when she realized that this person was someone she hardly knew at all.

"What are you doing here?" She asked incredulously, taking a dry gulp.

**_AN: I know this chapter may have been a little too short and redundant, but I thought it would be better to clarify their feelings first, aswell as what is going on with the "plan". The next chapter will have more dialogue. :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

Jimmie just stood there for a few seconds in stunned silence. He was frozen in the moment, scared of what to do next. Before he had been so confident, but now his hardcore player exterior had melted into cowardliness. She was looking directly at him. It wasn't something he was used to. Most of the time when he would try to talk to her, her eyes would be fixed on a more interesting sight behind him, ignoring his presence. But now, she was looking only at him, and nothing else. "Say something," he told himself. "She's talking to you." Sharpay's crystal blue eyes were piercing through his soul.

"Okay, I'll repeat. What are you doing here?" Instead of replying, Jimmie just sat down at the booth across from her. "Whoa, wait. Why are you sitting down? Get up!"

"Okay, Jim. You're rocket man. You have the power and the fuel. You can do this. Just keep it cool," he thought, coaching himself into talking. He started fiddling nervously with his fingers.

Sharpay was getting more and more rambunctious by the second. Where was Troy? Did he send this loser as a replacement? Anger was starting to bubble at the surface of her heart, and it was showing all over her face. She furrowed her eyebrows and groaned.

Jimmie inhaled, and then exhaled. "Calm down, babe. Everything is fine."

"So are you like a substitute or something," she asked suspiciously.

"Um." She was acting so scatter-brained, that he assumed that she must have been playing shy, although it was quite hard to imagine her as the timid type. Maybe she was just playing hard to get by being evasive. "No," he ended.

"Where is Troy then?"

"Troy is really busy."

"Is Troy really so busy that he couldn't have come to his own date," she laughed arrogantly.

"Well-of course—," he stopped. Wait. Rewind. What did she just say? _Was Troy so busy that he couldn't have come to his own date?_ Did she think that she was going to be on a date with Troy Bolton?

That explained a lot. A lump formed in his throat as something in his chest dropped. "Oh," he thought. "She isn't here for me, she's here for Troy." He laughed silently to himself. Oh course she wasn't interested in him. Nothing had changed between him and her. Donny was right; it was still Troy that she desired. This really was just a trick. This all was just too good to be true.

"Well of course…..what," she slurred, interjecting his thoughts.

There were a few moments of quiet between the two of them, both uneasy about the situation they were in. Jimmie finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. Sharpay peered at him through expectant eyes, waiting for an answer. He looked straight at her in response.

"Well of course he is really busy, he's Troy Bolton. He had an unexpected basketball practice thing," he faltered slowly. During the awkward silence, the light bulb in his head lit up. If he couldn't have her, then he was going to at least make this date worth his time. After all, this was someone he had tried to pursue for so long that it would have been ludicrous to give it up now.

She narrowed her eyes at him and squeezed her lips together. "Then why aren't you there?"

Good question. He didn't know. He couldn't tell her the truth. That was for sure. "Um, because he sent me to be here," he lied in a voice that seemed to be more of a question than a statement of fact.

"Oh," her voice quivered. She folded her arms on the table, and then buried her head in them.

* * *

"What's going on? I can't see pass this newspaper," Troy said.

"Oh man, it doesn't look like its going very well at all," Ryan answered disappointedly. "Her head is down. I wonder what he said."

"And Jim looks so uptight. He's probably really scared. Maybe this was a bad idea," Gabriella added mournfully. All of them sat at a booth at the other side of the restaurant, watching the date they had planned unfold in front of them.

They all were wearing disguises. Gabriella's hair had been pulled into a ponytail, hidden under a short, shoulder length brown wig. Ryan, abandoning his trademark hat to avoid recognition, wore a Hawaiian t-shirt that he had borrowed from his dad's closet, blue jeans, and white sunglasses. Troy wore the same plain outfit that he usually wore, with a hat covering his head, and a thick pair of glasses blocking his face. The newspaper he held shielded him from being noticed at all.

"Hopefully Jimmie doesn't blab on us, letting her know that it was us who set them up on this date," Ryan said, flipping the sunglasses on his face up, sitting them on the top of his head, as he analyzed the scene further.

"Wow," Gabriella smiled dreamily, clasping her hands together. "Imagine if this did go well. No more Sharpay problems!" She giggled.

"That is some fantasy you're dreaming of," Troy chuckled. "She'll always be…her. I can't imagine a Sharpay that wasn't always scheming and tearing people down."

Ryan turned his head to the couple. Part of what they said might have been true, but that was still his sister they were judging. "Hey. It may not seem like it, but she is a sweet person. You just have to get to know her, really know her." He turned his head back to Sharpay and Jimmie.

"Ha, ha! I guess that sweetness must be deep, deep, down," Troy whispered to his girlfriend, making her giggle a little.

* * *

"Um…..Sharpay, are you okay," Jimmie asked the mundane figure seated across from him. She hadn't moved for the past ten minutes. In that time, a waiter had come to collect their orders, but Jimmie just sent him away, until they _both_ were ready to eat. "Are you hungry? There's lot of pizza at your disposal," he urged, not that Antonio's Pizza wouldn't have a lot of pizza.

"I knew it was too good to be true," she indistinctly mumbled. "Why would Troy Bolton of all people want to be caught in public with me?" He could tell that she was talking to herself, but the question was just loud enough for him to hear it. He felt a connection with her now. He knew the pain she was feeling. Why would Sharpay Evans want to be caught in public with him, boring rocket man?

"I could ask you the same thing," he told her.

She jerked her head up, startling Jimmie. He could see the tear stains that had dried on her cheeks. "What is that supposed to mean," she snapped.

"Nothing. It's just that, why would you want to be caught in public with him. If he isn't man enough to cancel the date to your face, then why do you want him?" He knew this was a risky question, considering he didn't want to hear the answer. It was obvious why she wanted him; it was obvious why any girl wanted Troy. He was the "mega-hot" star basketball player, who was not only popular, but decently intelligent and kind. Still, he had to try to make conversation.

"Why? That is the dumbest question I've ever heard!" She starred at him and pounded her fists to the table, causing him to jump. "I saw him first, that's why!" She stopped, realizing she was about to make a scene, she softened her voice. "I've liked him ever since the tenth grade. I always thought he was cute, but one day I was having a horrible day. Drama practice went horribly because Ryan and I had gotten into an argument about something trivial, my mind wasn't focused, and I couldn't concentrate on being my character. Mrs. Darbus was obviously annoyed with us, so I was happy to leave and go to English class after free period was over." She had slowed to another stop, glancing at Jimmie to see if he was actually listening.

For some reason, he had a pained expression on his face, but he looked sympathetic. Since he was listening, she continued. "I just sat in English class, so angry and upset that I didn't talk to anyone. I swear, I probably looked like the grumpiest and most unfriendly person on the planet, yet Troy saw me. I guess he took pity on me in my misery. He came over and asked me what was wrong, after explaining the reason; he told me I should just be happy." She grinned at the memory, as it floated through her mind. "Then he invited me and my brother to the basketball game later that night. It was at that exact moment that I realize that I had a thing for him."

Jimmie rolled his eyes. "Are you in the mood for some pizza now?" He noticed that the waiter was moving toward their table.

"Whatever," she said.

* * *

The two wildcats sat sharing a pepperoni, sausage, and cheese pizza. Taking a bite of her slice of pizza, the blonde looked at him hazily. "So," she began, slurring her words. "What's your name again?"

"It's Jimmie "the Rocket" Zara. He stuck out his hand to her. "You know, we actually haven't formally introduced ourselves."

Sharpay laughed. "Jimmie the Rocket? What is that, some muppet gangster?"

"No, it's my nickname. You know, cause I soar like a rocket." He smirked at her, putting his hand down.

"Ehh. And what is that smell? Is that your cologne or a toxic spill?"

"Oh yeah, it's my cologne. It's called babe magnet, you like?" He held out his arm for her to smell. In response, the piece of pepperoni in her mouth dropped to her plate as she sneezed. She scrunched up her face after having sniffed the air. "Okay. I guess not….."

"Do me a favor and don't wear that again," she suggested as she waved her hand in front of her nose.

"But it's my trademark scent."

"Find another one. Trust me, if Troy walked around smelling like that, he would be girl repellant."

"Really? So if he smelled like me, you wouldn't want anything to do with him?"

She considered this. "Nevermind, but seriously, that cologne has got to go."

"Your wish is my command madam," he joked as he bowed down and extended his hand forward like a servant. Surprisingly, Sharpay started giggling.

"Wow. You are such a geek, but I like it. It's better than sitting here alone crying about Troy."

"That I think we can agree on that."

"But it seems like you're a big fan of Troy," she wondered.

"Yeah, he is a pretty cool guy. He is like the big brother I never had, but still. I think you could find someone better."

"Like who," she grinned.

"I don't know, but when I find someone. I'll be sure to let you know." They both laughed.

* * *

"Yes," Ryan and Gabriella yelled as they high fived each other. After a long while of stalking and worrying about them during their date, it seemed as if Sharpay and Jimmie were finally getting along.

"Now that it seems they are finally clicking, can we go?"Troy urged, trying to scoot out of the booth seat.

"Sure," they said in union, as everyone began to get up.

"Oh! Wait a minute ma'am," called a waiter nearby to Gabriella, walking up to the group. "The gentleman over there said that you would be paying for their meal." He pointed to Jimmie, who was too involved in his conversation with Sharpay to notice who was coming or going. "He said for you to check your text messages."

Gabriella gave Troy and Ryan confusing glances, then pulled her cell phone out of her purse to see that there was one missed call, and a new text message. It read: _U set this date up, now U and Troy can pay for it. BTW, thanks. Nice wig. See ya l8ter._


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay dude, plug it in," Jimmie told Donny as he slung the straps of his guitar over his shoulder. Donny quickly plugged the amp in the socket of the loud speakers, and slowly started turning the knobs.

It was 8:50 in the morning at East High, and the only souls in the hallway were Jimmie and Donny. Their backs were pressed against the sides of the walls as they were getting prepared for one of their greatest fiascos yet. They had left class early, pretending to need go to the bathroom, but instead going to their lockers to get ready. There were only ten minutes left before the bell would ring for next period, so they had to hurry.

"Are you ready," Donny asked, still focused on the speakers.

"When have I ever not been ready? Let's jam!"

* * *

"Ha, ha, ha! He made her pay," Kelsie snorted. She and Ryan were sitting together in homeroom, away from Sharpay so that she would not hear them.

"Yes. Troy and I just looked at her. We were confused on how he figured it out."

"Well, if Jimmie thought he was on a date with Sharpay, and Sharpay thought she was on a date with Troy, then I'm sure they both were bound to find out."

Ryan's eyebrows furrowed. "The weird thing is that Sharpay didn't know that we set her up on a date with Jimmie. She still thinks that she was supposed to be on a date with Troy."

Ryan and Kelsie both watched Sharpay as she glided from her usual corner of the room to Troy's desk. Her face was full of confidence as she plopped herself down on top of his desk. Troy jumped, startled by her sudden appearance.

"Hey Troy," she began with her usual flirtatious line. "I missed you at Antonio's. I thought you and I would have some alone time together. You know. We could have gotten to know each other a bit more." She touched his arm repeatedly, making him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I was busy." He jerked his arm away from her.

"Really? Busy doing what," she scoffed with a laugh. "Were you really so busy that you couldn't come to the date you planned? So busy that you had to send your replacement?" She was trying her best to pretend as if Troy's actions didn't hurt her, but they did. Despite this, she still kept going back to him, hoping he would give her a chance. If he gave her just one chance, she could prove to him that she would be a much better girlfriend than Gabriella could ever be.

No matter how hard she tried, Troy could see that she was bothered. After all, he was there at Antonio's when she had her head down at the table and wouldn't talk to Jimmie for the longest time. Something was obviously wrong with her. "Listen, Sharpay…." It was hard for him to say it, but he had to tell her at least part of the truth. "I'm with Gabriella, and that won't change. I'm sorry."

Sharpay stopped smiling. Her confident nature was slipping away. "But, then why would you--"

"It's a complicated situation that I don't think we should talk about right now. I mean. I guess we all saw how sad you were and wanted to cheer you up."

"By standing me up and sending Jimmie in as a replacement?" She could feel her heart tighten. She didn't understand most of what he was saying. What did he mean by "we"?

She jumped off of his desk and stood still, looking at him. Instead of returning her gaze, Troy looked around the class for anyone who could give him a way out. Most of his classmates were involved in their own conversations with each other, except for Ryan, Kelsie, and Gabriella, who were all watching him. Before he could mouth the word "help" to any of them, a strange sound blared from the hallways that startled everyone in the classroom.

* * *

The sound was of a powerfully loud electric guitar, and it echoed around the corridors to every classroom nearby. The loud noise reverberated off the walls, down the hallway, distracting many students from their class work. All of the students in Ms. Darbus's class sprang up and ran to the door to see what was going on. To the dismay of Mrs. Darbus, many of the students left the classroom in search of the mysterious music.

"What's going on, come back here," she called after them as she too left the room.

The only two who remained as they were before were Troy and Sharpay, each starring at the other. "I'm sorry," Troy mouthed to her, still sitting at his desk. He combed his hair with his hands. Sharpay shook her head in response. He didn't need to apologize. She was the fool for not taking the hint the first trillion times he said no to her.

For a few minutes, they heard nothing but the mysterious tones blaring outside of the room, an awkwardness between them intensified. Troy stood up, ready to join his peers in the hallway. He didn't know what to say or do at this point, but he wished he did. "Um, do you want a hug," he tried. Maybe a hug could act as some form of closure for her.

She didn't say anything. All she did was continue to shake her head. With that, he began to leave. Feeling horrible, he stopped short of the doorway and turned around to look at her once more. "I really am sorry. If there is anything I can do to make up for this, then please let me know." Sharpay was frozen in time. She could barely move, but managed to follow him out.

* * *

Meanwhile, a huge crowd had formed around Jimmie and Donny as they played spontaneously. Some students were peering out of their respective classrooms to watch them play since a wide audience already filled the hallways. As Jimmie strung the chords of his guitar harmoniously with Donny's previously recorded Dj mix tract, Troy weaved his way through Wildcat spectators to watch, front row center.

Sharpay didn't care about what the sound was or where it was coming from, she just had to get to a private place. Lucky for her, because so many students (due to the noise) were concentrated in one main area, it wouldn't be hard for her to keep to herself. She dodged through other students until she was able to reach the empty space behind them. Slowly, she trudged up the stairs close by, unaware that she had caught the attention of the source of the noisy commotion. Jimmie, who had momentarily glanced up at his "fans", noticed her sadly going upstairs.

* * *

She finally reached her pink, "S" stamped, locker. She dug into it for an important booklet, and then darted into a bathroom. There she pushed a heavy trash can in front of the door to keep others from entering. A sense of overwhelming relief and grief filled her conscience. Hot tears rushed down her cheeks, as she slammed all of her belongings unto the tiled floor. Her back to the side of the bathroom wall, she slowly slid down to the floor. Her voice squeaked as she lost breath and chocked on her tears. "This sucks," she stammered. "I guess that I'm just not good enough for someone like Troy to like me. What's wrong with me?"

Sharpay stretched across the floor, grabbing her purse and booklet. She starred down at the glossy booklet that her hands so dearly clenched; it read _Julliard: School For the Performing and Visual Arts_. Julliard was her dream college. To her, it represented a new experience, where she could lose herself, yet find herself in the characters she portrayed. There, she could be the person she was meant to be and pave the way for her future acting career. She could be somebody, a _real _somebody. People would think she was smart and beautiful like Gabriella, but they wouldn't know who Gabriella was. Perfect. She wouldn't have to compare herself to anyone. She could set her own standards, instead of having those standards set for her. She could start her life over, the right way.

The only problem with her dream was that she had to compete for it. If she wanted to impress the Julliard Scouts, she would have to outdo her brother, his girlfriend, and Troy Bolton. Nothing caused her more distress. She didn't want the competition to destroy her already unstable relationship with her brother, nor could she bear to go against Troy, after all, she still loved them both with all of her heart. Remembering this point caused her to cry even harder and louder than before.

She flipped through the pages of the booklet, admiring all of what she saw. Two happy boys and one girl sat talking in the beautifully constructed cafeteria. A black ballerina eloquently jumped mid-air with her legs outstretched. Her favorite picture was of a blonde girl standing onstage, clutching a script, and intently staring at her theatre professor as he gave her a critique. Sharpay had read the description of Julliard's theatre classes five times, and now was time to read it again. Not long thereafter, she let the rhythmic guitar sounds from downstairs soothe her pain as she pretend to happily skip along the halls of Julliard.

"Sharpay, are you okay," asked a timid voice.

Sharpay, startled, jumped to her feet and swung her purse over her shoulder. "Whose there? I've got a purse and I'm not afraid to use it," she yelled. She turned around in circles, making sure the voice was nowhere behind her.

A door from one of the stalls swiftly opened to reveal a curly headed, worried, Kelsie. Sharpay breathed in, relaxing the grip on her purse. "What are you doing in here? Were you in here the whole time?"

"Well yeah," Kelsie replied.

"I thought you'd be outside with Ryan somewhere, looking for the guitar player like everyone else. Aren't you an avid music fan person," Sharpay snorted.

Kelsie smiled mildly. "I had to go to the bathroom. Besides, we found the source, and I bet you'd never guess who it was."

"Why would I care? You better not tell anyone I was in here! Gosh why didn't you say something? This is so humiliating." She rambled on and on.

"Sharpay calm down! I won't say anything to anyone, okay?"

"Not even Ryan?" She looked at the perky girl with angry eyes.

"Not even Ryan, unless you say it is okay to do so." Sharpay smiled triumphantly in response. "Can I ask you something?"

"No, you can't. I'm pretty much sure you've got all the answers you need by hiding in the bathroom stall."

"I was using the bathroom! Is it really impossible that I came in here to do that?"

"Maybe."

"Well, it's not like you guarded your privacy, locking me in here with you and all," she joked.

At this Sharpay was indignant. Kelsie had a good point, but now was not a good time for her to admit to it. "Fine," Sharpay began as she attempted to storm out of the bathroom, immediately pulling the trash can from in front of the door. "Get out, then!"

Kelsie was shocked. How could such a hurt and weak person be so mean to her when she was only trying to be nice? Just like Ryan, Troy, and Gabriella, everyone around Sharpay could see that she was in pain. Not even her cold-hearted exterior could protect the revelation of her true emotions. The jig was up.

Kelsie dug into her pocket for a piece of paper and wrote on it. She handed it to Sharpay. "If you ever want some company, you can visit me at my house, or my locker, and of course you know that we have the same homeroom."

"Am I like a charity case that everyone needs to look after," Sharpay asked herself. "Thanks, but I don't think I'll need it anytime soon," she told her as she crumbled the paper in her smooth palms and threw it into the trash. Kelsie starred after the paper disappointedly, and then left Sharpay alone in the bathroom. Finally Sharpay could be alone, or so she thought.

A familiar sophomore burst into the bathroom not long after Kelsie had made her exit. Sharpay's eyes widened. Jimmie had a lot of nerve bursting in on her like that, and in the girls bathroom no less.

"So, I came to check in," Jimmie said.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** **I just wanted to say thanks to all of the people who continue to read this story. You all are awesome. This time I gave you all a longer chapter than normal, I hope you like it. Also, if you want to read any more Jimmie/OC or Jimmie/Sharpay (Shimmie?) fanfics, then I have some great ones posted at the bottom of my profile page. Give them a look, maybe more reviews will inspired them to update more often. ;)**

"So I guess that means that you're here because you feel sorry for me too," Sharpay stated incredulously.

"Well," Jimmie began, bowing his head to the floor. "I guess I'm actually more worried about you." He looked up at her again.

"Why is everyone worried about me? I'm fine!"

"Really? You're a hundred percent okay?"

"Yep," she replied, folding her arms and looking at him hard.

"Then why are there streaks of makeup running down your cheeks?"

Sharpay, stunned, turned to the mirror to look at her face. Indeed, there were black, blurry, streaks of eyeliner marked on her cheeks. She gasped, embarrassed at the site of herself. She violently wiped at the marks with the back of her hand, but they failed to come off.

Jimmie peered into a nearby stall, tore off a piece of toilet paper, wet it with facet water, and handed it to Sharpay. "Ew," she said, accepting it anyway. "Who knows what kind of germs could be on this?"

Jimmie smiled, but did not say anything as Sharpay dabbed furiously at her face. "She has no idea how beautiful she looks, even with messed up make-up," he thought to himself.

"So, what's wrong," he asked her, watching as she cleaned her face.

Sharpay bit her bottom lip. Even though it had been twenty minutes ago, she had almost forgotten about Troy. She didn't want to be reminded of him again because it would only make her cry. "I don't want to talk about it."

Jimmie looked at her quizzically. "Oh. Well, you missed my little show out there." If whatever happened was really that uncomfortable, then he might as well change the subject. After all, He was here to help her feel better.

"What show?" She turned her head from the mirror and looked at him, hands embracing the sides of the sink.

"The guitar show out there in the hall. Me and my main man, Donny, put it together."

"That was you? I didn't see it, but I could hear it all the way up hear. It sounded nice." She shifted from leaning on the sink to standing on her feet. She started gathering her belongings off of the floor and shoving them into her purse.

"Gasps! The great beauty approves of my music," Jimmie joked.

"Don't flatter yourself too much. It's nice, but you could do so much better." She rushed to the door, pulling on the handle. Jimmie looked a little surprised at this comment. "With a singer that is," she ended, pulling the door completely open.

"Whoa," she gasped, shutting the door urgently, her back against it now.

"What?"

"Open the freaking door," a female voice called from the outside of the door. "We need to use the bathroom!" The voice banged on the door.

"Who is that?"

Sharpay starred at him, panicked. "I think the better question is who are they?" More shouting and complaining could be heard from the outside. "There is a huge crowd of girls outside!"

"What do they all want?"

"To pee, I guess."

"So let them." He moved toward the door, grabbing the handle. He tried to pull it open, but Sharpay pressed her back against the door with so much force that it slammed shut.

"Don't you see? If they see me in here with you, they are going to think that we did something, like make-out in a stall while groping each other or worse."

Jimmie laughed. "Don't overreact. They'll be too busy running to a toilet to notice us. Who cares?" He tried to open the door again, but Sharpay slammed it closed again. Resistance was futile.

"Please, Muppet-man. It's worse enough I faced another humiliating stint with Troy, I don't need people thinking I'm a slut too." She immediately regretted saying that. Now he knew why she was upset. Surprise, surprise, the overly obsessive Sharpay Evans was rejected by Troy, again. Jimmie probably thought she had no life other than flinging herself at Troy.

"Oh, I see." He searched his mind for something to say, but could not think of anything. Curse Troy. What was it about him that kept her going back for more rejection? "In that case, I guess the girls would think I was some kind of pervert for being in here. Maybe we should find a way to escape." A grin formed on his lips.

Sharpay inhaled a sigh of relief. This was good. She didn't have to face the crowd. "How are we going to be able to avoid them? If I don't let them in soon, they'll knock the door down."

"We could jump out the window."

"We're on the second floor."

The girls outside of the door began repeatedly shoving it open, even though it kept snapping shut due to Sharpay's strength. Jimmie plopped himself against the door to assist her. "Oh my gosh, these girls are crazy! Don't they know there are other restrooms in this--!"

He stopped. The smell of her fragrant perfume filled his nose and for a second he realized that he was right beside the girl of his dreams. Just a few days ago a moment like this would have been impossible. Whenever he tried to get close to her, she would trot away, never taking an interest in him. In just a few days, thanks to Gabriella and Troy, everything between him and her was changing for the better.

"Jimmy," Sharpay shouted. "Hold down the door, while I do something." He snapped out of his daydreams and starred after her, nodding his head. She ran to the corner and dug ferociously into the trash can.

"I don't suppose you accidently threw away your mace to handle these animals, did you?" She rolled her eyes, ignoring his comment. Finally, she found what she was looking for, a piece of paper.

* * *

Kelsie felt a buzzing coming from the side of her checkered Capri pants as she hobbled to her Calculus class. She pulled out her cell phone and checked the id caller. It read the name Evans. "Ryan," she asked after pressing the talk button. "Why are you calling me in school? Is something wrong?"

"This is not Ryan," Sharpay replied. "Look, I know I was mean to you, and blah, blah, blah, but you said if I needed anything I could let you know. Well, I need a big something.

* * *

Five minutes later, Kelsie stood near the upstairs restroom entrance. About fifteen girls stood outside of the door, banging and pushing against it. "Let us in," they yelled angrily.

Kelsie didn't know what to do, but she had to think of something. As she tapped a brunette girl, with braids in her hair, on the shoulder, the word "hey" trembled from her mouth. The girl turned to face Kelsie. "You-you-you know," she began. "You might as well find another restroom. I don't think you are going to get in that one."

The brunette scoffed and ignored her, turning back around and continuing to encourage the girls in the front of the mob to force the door down. Kelsie tried again, this time with the other girls, but received the same reaction. She had to think of something. What would get the girls to move? A scare tactic maybe?

"The late bell is about to ring, and you don't want to get detention," she shouted to them. Some of the students rolled their eyes at her in annoyance. They were too stubborn to give up that easily.

Kelsie gulped. Obviously these girls did not care about their school records. "Did I mention that Mrs. Darbus is the one handing out detentions?" She suddenly grew more confident. "I hear she needs a lot of stage hands to sand all of the wooden props."

That did just the trick. Not one, but a large majority of the girls ceased yelling and stared at Kelsie. "She is not in a good mood this morning." At that, all of the students with full bladders scrambled to their respective classrooms, never once looking back. Nothing scared Wildcats more than a detention--Darbus styled.

Kelsie was relieved when they left. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Sharpay! It's me, Kelsie! It's okay, you can come out now."

The door opened cautiously, quietly creaking. As half of the doorway still remained closed, Sharpay poked her head out of it's open side. She glanced to her left, then her right, surveying the area. Her eyes lost their intensity, suddenly softening at the thought of her safety. She sighed in relief. "Muppet, the coast is clear." The door opened completely, revealing that Sharpay wasn't alone, but with a boy, Jimmie Zara to be exact.

"Good, I wasn't sure that we were gonna get out alive," he said, walking out of the bathroom. "They probably would have crushed us if they knocked the door down, then ate our dead bodies." Kelsie just stared at him, surprised that he and Sharpay would be alone in a bathroom together. She didn't mention he was with her during their phone conversation.

Sharpay noticed the confused expression on Kelsie's face. She cleared her throat. "Jimmie came in to check on me, just like you did, but before either one of us could leave, well, you know the story." Kelsie nodded, still a little stunned.

"Okay, well, I'm glad to have helped you. The both of you," she replied, turning to leave. She felt kind of awkward.

"Yeah, thanks," Jimmie told her, giving her a notably optimistic smile. Sharpay just stood watching their reaction, now releasing her grip on the door and letting it fall shut.

Kelsie smiled shyly then started to pace down the hallway back to her math class. "Hey wait up," Jimmie called after her. "I think we're headed the same way!" He winked at Sharpay, told her it had been fun, and ran after Kelsie.

Sharpay observed them striding towards the end of the hall to the same stairs she had climbed whilst crying not long ago. A weird and uncomfortable emotion washed over her. It made her feel the same way she did when she sat alone at a table as her brother chatted with his friends. It was the same porous, bottomless pit, feeling that embraced her every time she was alone or ignored. She felt her heart harden and a lump form in her throat.

Together they walked off and away from her, just the way Ryan and Troy had. Ironically, this time it was Ryan's girlfriend and Troy's protégé striding away from her. Oddly, Kelsie and Jimmie represented her lost brother and her lost love. Sharpay could feel tears burning at the back of her eyes, threatening to ruin her. She started to choke a little, fearing that she would vomit. This couldn't happen again, not even with people who served as nothing more but reminders of her pain.

Was this her moment to change? Was this her chance to squelch these horrid feelings? What more could she lose? She was already losing everything, her friends, her family, her drama department, her happiness, one by one.

Before her mind could catch up to her action, she darted their way, lockers and classrooms blurring past her in a dizzy haze. The burning sensation in her eyes calmed. Her heart started beating rapidly. It was as if she was on a roller coaster ride, gliding to a second chance to reinvent herself. She didn't have to wait until college to do it, she could do it now.

At this point, she was five paces behind them. "Hey guys, wait," she panted. They slowed, beginning to face the sound of her voice, but Sharpay, who was still running, accidently collided into them. All three collapsed unto the floor. Sharpay laid on both Kelsie and Jimmie in a triangular form as if they were a bunch of cheerleaders who had failed miserably at the pyramid.

"Hey Shar, not until the wedding night, okay," Jimmie snorted, extending his arms, then pushing himself up with them.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Muppet."

"Mowmph," Kelsie mumbled, her face plastered to the floor.

Sharpay jumped off of her back. "Sorry Kels, I'm so sorry. Are you okay," she exclaimed. She grabbed Kelsie's left arm, while Jimmie grabbed her right one. They pulled her to her feet.

"Ouch, I said," Kelsie repeated. "I'll be okay. What's your hurry?"

Kelsie and Jimmie both gazed at her, waiting for an explanation. Sharpay running to tell them something as if she thought them to be important was something new and unexpected.

"Um….," she slurred. Dang. She just wanted to stop them, she hadn't thought of what to say. "Why don't we…….um, yeah." Her comrades glanced at each other in confusion.

"I'm really late for class," Kelsie mentioned.

"Not that I wouldn't love to spend all day with you two, but I'm sure some random teacher is gonna give me a detention slip by the time I make it to mine," Jimmie added.

Sharpay smiled at them. She wouldn't mind spending the whole day with him either or the both of them for that matter. It would be such a comfort to escape school for a while. With or without Troy drama, she was going to get super stressed with acting in plays, studying for exams, and filling out her Julliard application. There was nothing wrong with taking one last day to relax, was there?

"No. No class, no school, no teachers, no detentions. None of that," she blurted, waving her hands in their faces. "Aren't you tired of all that? Just for a day, let's skip."

"Skip math?"

"No Kels, skip the whole day. A whole day of freedom, doesn't that sound awesome?"

"Oh heck yeah, I'm in. Me and Donny need to avoid the principal anyway, he's considering suspension for our 'disruption of the learning process'." He said the last phrase with air quotes.

Kelsie's mouth hung wide open. Skipping school? With Sharpay Evans? The one who got kicks out of yelling at her? "No way. Are you crazy?"

"Of course not. I'm extremely serious. Come on, Muppet's in."

"About that Muppet thing," Jimmie interrupted with one pointed finger, as if he was about to make a point, but stopped. He did not mind at this point.

"Look Kelsie." She grabbed Kelsie's shoulders and looked deep within her eyes. "We're seniors, and it will be a long while before prom get's here. We have to do something fun before we all explode from seniorities."

Normally, Kelsie would have protested further, an immovable stone wall when it came to her values, but the passionate and excited way Sharpay's eyes gleamed couldn't have been avoided. She hadn't seen the ice queen look that happy since Troy had agreed to sing with her at the Lava Springs talent competition, and that was a long time ago. If it would make Sharpay happy, then she guessed it wouldn't kill her.

"Fine," she huffed defeated.

"Yea!" Sharpay hopped up and down excitedly while clapping her hands together. "Fun, fun, fun!" She pulled Jimmie and Kelsie to her sides in an embrace. "I know just the place."


	6. Chapter 6

"Now that the class is all settled, we will begin learning about solving quadratic equations," Mrs. Samuels, the sophomore geometry teacher, stated to her rowdy class. They quieted themselves as she began to speak.

She promptly scribbled numbers and X's on the whiteboard with a red marker. "Donny Dion, why don't you start by explaining how to solve this problem," she suggested, still facing the board.

"Um…about that," he stated nervously. "I don't understand it myself, so I don't think I'd have the right answer."

"It doesn't matter whether or not it's right as long as you try." Once she had finished marking on the board, she turned to observe him. His eyes were blank. He didn't seem to have a clue as to what an equation even was. Mrs. Samuels rolled her eyes. "Just look at question number 5 of your homework, Mr. Dion."

"I didn't do my homework." The class erupted into a small fit of laughter as Mrs. Samuels sighed. They didn't pay her enough to deal with the consistent laziness of her students.

"Alright. Mr. Lacking, did you do your homework?"

Donny ignored the start of class as usual. He instead chose to daydream about earlier that morning when girls had surrounded him and Jimmie. He sighed. Why couldn't quadruple equations be as interesting as music or girls? When the image of himself scratching a record loudly in a hallway had faded, he switched his attention back to his teacher. Unfortunately, Joe Lacking had absolutely nothing interesting to contribute to Donny's lack of entertainment. Something moved back and forth in the corner of his eye. He glanced out the door to see Jimmie waving at him, gesturing for him to come outside.

* * *

Tiara Gold was confused among other things. Sharpay was definitely in homeroom that morning, but now she could not seem to find her. She was not in the auditorium, her English class, or at her locker. Where could she have wandered off to? Tiara continued to walk down an empty hallway, peering into each classroom she passed. Some of the students closest to the doors glanced back at her then returned their attention back to their learning.

She paused. Did she really want to go looking for Sharpay? Maybe she didn't really want to find her. This could be her one day of freedom, from Sharpay's yelling, shoving, and bossiness. In all honesty, she was not a mini-Sharpay wannabe clone like everyone thought she was. Tiara was an individual, a talented person, and a gifted worker. She just wanted to help people in whatever way she could. And Sharpay needed help, didn't she? Why else would she post a wanted notice for a personal assistant?

She huffed. "Outside of Sharpay, I don't have a real identity, do I," she asked herself.

For a moment, she just stood still, feet together, pondering if her superior would ever change. Maybe she should quit being Sharpay's assistant. It was her first year in America, and she already was failing at showing everyone her true self. Tagging along with the iciest senior in all of the school was not helping her reputation. Out of all the fun things she could be doing to build a foundation for herself at East High, she was sacrificing it to someone who wouldn't even be here next year.

The many thoughts that ran through her mind gave her a painful headache, so she pushed them to the side. "I'll just find her and talk to her, if she'll even try to listen," she thought. She kept walking until she reached an intersection in the hallway. Which way was her class again, right, left or ahead? "I guess I'll go straight." She began to walk when she heard the sound of laughter and the squeaking of shoes. She jerked her head to her left and caught a glimpse of two students she knew running somewhere.

* * *

Kelsie snatched her head from the left to the right, surveying her surroundings. She had to make sure no one was around. Sharpay's pink convertible could be an eyesore to any East High faculty members that may wander too close to their classroom windows. She was also scared of catching the attention of the security guards.

"Kelsie," Sharpay insisted. "We're not going to get into any trouble! We're freaking seniors for crying out loud! We have permission from the school to leave early if we want to."

Kelsie glared at her. "Not this early in the morning! First period has just begun. No senior just comes to school for homeroom!" She shook her head.

"Whatever," Sharpay replied rolling her eyes. She put her hands on her hips. "Just get in the car already. You're making it seem as if we're breaking into the car with the way you're crouching around it."

"Fine," Kelsie said, hoping into the back of Sharpay's car. The top cover was down. She lay down on her back, covering the whole backseat. "But I'm staying like this until we leave the parking lot. If you get caught, I wasn't here."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "You can't stay that way forever. When Donny get's here, you two have to share the back."

Kelsie looked at Sharpay, who was standing by the car at her feet. "Obviously."

Sharpay smiled. It seemed as if she was not the only person who was concerned about what other people thought, but Kelsie was different. She cared about what the school thought of her, what a goody-two shoes.

The student/teacher parking lot was across from the back of the school. There were multiple doors that led inside. Her eyes darted to and from each one of them to see which one Jimmie and Donny would come out of. She and Kelsie were waiting for Jimmie to rescue Donny from the boredom that was the average school day. She wished they would hurry up. She desperately wanted to get out of here, at least for today. Her seniorities was starting to kick in and it was only the third month of school.

One of the side doors to the school slammed open, making a loud banging noise that any of the nearby classrooms could have heard. Jimmie and Donny came running out of it in excitement and chuckles. Kelsie jumped up in a seated position and looked about her. " Oh no! We've been caught," she screeched. Her irregular breathing subsided when she noticed that it was only the sophomores and not the security guards. She lay back down and placed her hand on top of her heart. "That was close."

The boys reached the car, but suddenly stopped. They turned their attention from each other to Sharpay. Their eyes seem to pass by her in a weird way. "I didn't know she was coming," Jimmie said, pointing a finger in Sharpay's direction.

Sharpay raised one of her eyebrows. "Kelsie? Are you serious? She was there when I told you we were going to-."

"Not, her," Jimmie said, indicating with his whole hand to something behind Sharpay. She slowly turned around, scared to see who it might have been. There was nothing behind her except more cars and the green Albuquerque mountains.

She turned to face them again, but saw that their eyes were now on something next to her. She jumped to the side, startled by the girl who stood there. "Goodness, where did you come from?"

"I followed them," Tiara Gold informed, pointing at the boys. "May I ask where you are going? You are supposed to be in English class right now."

"Oh please, like I need to know the symbolism in British literature to know how to act," she snapped. "And don't nag me about school. Now isn't the time." She gestured toward the car, motioning for Jimmie and Donny to get in.

They called shotgun and rushed to the passenger seat at the same time. Jimmie glared at his best friend and cleared his throat. He kept bobbing his head in the opposite direction. "Oh, I see," Donny whispered and then attempted to get in the backseat. "Um, there's a girl in here," he said after looking down at Kelsie, who was looking back at him.

While Kelsie moved out of the way to let Donny have room, Sharpay walked around to the driver's side of the car. Tiara was left standing. She had now realized that they were all leaving school, probably unauthorized. She was a little hurt that Sharpay would just disappear without telling her anything. It was as if she didn't exist to her. She cared more for her dog then she did for actual people. She should have just gone to class.

Tiara walked away from the pink convertible towards the East High Building. Behind her, she could hear the engine of the car starting. She thought about how she was going to explain being this late to her teacher. She didn't have any late passes with her. She heard the car's tires slowly rolling backwards across the gravel. Maybe she could hide out in the auditorium. She could practice her lines for the senior play in there.

"Hello? I'd honk the horn, but Kelsie would freak if anyone heard us," Sharpay called. Tiara swiveled around to see that the car was right behind her. Everyone was watching her. "Come on, get in, Brit."

* * *

Jimmie tried to keep cool. He wanted to maintain a chic look to impress Sharpay with, but every inch of his mouth wanted to flash a smile so wide and bright that it would have hurt his face. Once again he was next to her. Her fragrance continued to intoxicate him. The wind blew her hair behind her in the type of way he'd only see in Pantene commercials. She had slipped huge black sunglasses on her face, covering her beautiful brown eyes. Today was going to be a great day, he knew it. He couldn't believe that he was going to spend the day with Sharpay Evans, for a second time.

He almost hadn't notice when she had parked the car in front of Chick Fil A. He was confused.

"You skipped school so that you could eat chicken," Kelsie gasped. "We're scheduled to have chicken during lunch on Friday. If only you were patient."

"Kels, please. This is so not about the chicken, although, their greasy chicken breading is to die for."

"Then what is this about," Jimmie asked.

"This is just the start of our day. We'll start with a nice breakfast, then-."

"Let me guess, go to the mall? We could have done all this on a Saturday, you know."

Sharpay squint her eyes at Kelsie through the rearview mirror. "I'll think of something. We can talk about it over food."

Everyone entered into the restaurant. Sharpay and Jimmie offered to order food, while the others claimed a table in the back corner. For a while, they stood in silence scanning the menu located above the heads of the service clerks. Jimmie tried to look cool and complacent as they waited in line, but worry was sinking its way into his thoughts. He may have been a goof off, but he certainly wasn't a skipper. Why did he let his liking to Sharpay influence him in such a way? Besides, wouldn't people notice that he, Donny, and Tiara appeared too young to not be in school this morning?

When they received their order, a full tray of chicken and waffle fries, they returned together to the back table where everyone else was waiting. Donny and Tiara were sitting on one side of the booth, while Kelsie was sitting across from them. Soon, Jimmie and Sharpay scooted in beside her.

Jimmie smiled to himself. Even if skipping school today basically had no point, he was really happy to be sitting next to Sharpay, he realized why he was so influenced by her presence. Still, he had to be careful to guard his heart.

"It's called a quadratic equation, not a quadruple equation," Kelsie remarked to Donny, who had just related the story of his boring math class to everyone at the table. Tiara and Jimmie laughed. Sharpay quietly sipped on her fruit soda through a straw, carefully watching the interaction.

"Hey, what does it matter? All I know is that it is boring. If you give the teacher the right answer then you will get more boring facts. If you give her the wrong answer, then you get corrected with more boring facts," he replied.

"Or yelled at," Jimmie added. Donny nodded his head in agreement.

Sharapy allowed her eyes to roam around the small restaurant. Her eyes passed from a middle aged couple, to a mother holding a little child, to a bored looking college student waiting to make his order. Then suddenly there was a man with black hair and thin glasses dressed in a suit.

Immediately she gasped and started chocking on her soda. She ducked under the table to hide herself. "Oh no!" The others were startled by her reaction, keeping their eyes on her.

"Is there something wrong," Kelsie asked, peering under the table to look at Sharpay's face.

"Yes! Look over there! It's Mr. Matsumishi, our principal!"

Kelsie quickly swirled around behind her to confirm the information. Her eyes popped open in surprise. It was true. He was standing in line on a cell phone, too invested in the moment to notice the teens that had just skipped school, fortunately hidden in the corner. "Duck, everyone," she squealed in panic. "I knew it. I knew it!"

Suddenly, everyone hid under the table, leaving only their food remaining on top. "Shoot," Sharpay cried. "Why isn't he at school? Shouldn't a principal be-I don't know-principaling?"

"The same rule applies here as it does with anyone at East High. School is too boring to be there all day, everyday," Donny said matter-of-factly. Kelsie hit him in his side with her elbow.

"This really does feel quite silly," Tiara commented.

Sharpay hushed them as the sounds of people approaching their table grew nosier. A pair of feet stopped short of the side of their table. A man with a cropped black beard, dressed in a red and white Chick-Fil-A uniform crouched down to view all of their faces. Not knowing what to do, they all smiled at him. "Hi," they all said.

He blinked at them a couple of times. "Do you realize that our playground is located in the other room?"

"We are not playing, sir, we are, um," Kelsie began, but did not know where to finish.

"Can you let us know when the last man in line leaves, then we will be on our merrily little way out of your hair," Sharpay smiled sweetly. He starred at her, looked up, then starred at her again.

"What man? All who were in line just recently have already left," he replied confused.

Sharpay curled around the edge of the table to see that a whole new line of people had formed. Her cheeks reddened. "Then I guess we'll be going now."

* * *

"See, we're fine. Stop worrying," Sharpay tried to consol Kelsie as she drove to another unmarked destination, at least, unmarked to everyone else.

"No it's not! Take me back. I want to return to school!" She folded her arms in protest.

"The only way you are getting out of this car is if you plan to jump out of the window!" Sharpay really wanted this special skip day to be something worth her while. Just when she began feeling comfortable around the others, allowing the tensions to sooth out of her muscles, panic comes. She was not going to give up now. Besides, she did not want to be left alone again. Watching Kelsie and Jimmie leave was how this excitement started.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Sharpay has a safer place envisioned," Tiara chimed in confidently.

"As a matter of fact, I do. You won't have to fret about anyone from school being there," Sharpay smiled, pressing her foot to the gas petal slightly and turning unto an upcoming highway.

One could try to imagine what the Evans mansion appeared like in person, but one would only be fooling themselves. True enough, her house was in an upper class gated neighborhood, surrounded with fresh trees and bushes, making one forget that it was situated in New Mexico. However, the house was much more beautiful than any stereotypical rich person's house.

Before the house laid a great garden, carefully designed, where a stone pathway led to the front porch. On either side of the pathway, huge rosy bushes were scattered about the lawn. The whole mansion was made partly of brick and partly of plaster. A huge veranda was positioned in front of the two storied home, with a swing attached. The driveway was behind the house, where the Evan's gated pool was located. Sharpay parked her car in this area.

The back of the house was just as extravagant as its front. The same rosy bushes that decorated the front yard were also spread apart in the back yard. The grass was a great fresh green that covered the ground like a carpet. A great beige gazebo sat about 30ft away from the sparkling pool.

"Wow," said Donny as everyone crawled out of Sharpay's pink convertible. Jimmie felt the same sentiment. He had never seen the Evan's household before either, unlike his female counterparts. Tiara had been to the house one or twice to assist Sharpay in cataloguing outfits for the first semester of school or to help in pre-party planning. Kelise had been to the mansion many times with Ryan as they spent time together, so she wasn't as surprised as the others. However, being here with Sharpay instead of her brother, now that was a surprise.

Sharpay unlocked the back door of her house and led her guests through long hallways, finally stopping in a partly wooden kitchen, which was adjacent to a dinning room on the left and mini-living room on the right. Inside the kitchen was a small open room set with a wooden table and six white chairs, where one could grab a quick bite to eat without having to sit in the fancy dinning room. The stove and the dishwasher were made of steel and heavily imbedded into the side of the wall, surrounded by wooden counters and draws on each side.

"Your house is beautiful," Jimmie said somewhat astonished. The kitchen reminded him a little of the inside of his own home.

Sharpay smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Thanks." On any other occasion the shocked and impressive looks on the faces of her guests would have brought her great satisfaction. She usually loved to be exalted above others and thought of as superior, rather than an unapproachable ice queen. However, that was not the case now. She found that the rich quality of her home might seem intimidating to her newfound friends.

"So what are we to do now," Kelsie asked.

Once again Sharpay had not thought that far. "Well, I was just thinking that we could hang out here," she suggested. Everyone's eyes became wide eyed. Hang out here? With Sharpay? In her huge mansion? It was almost too impressive a thought for their minds to comprehend. Jimmie's heart even skipped a beat.

"Well, that's a plan," Donny interjected, rubbing his hands together.

"We could bake something," Tiara offered, seeing as they were in a kitchen. She knew it would be easier to clean up any mess they made in a kitchen than in a living room. She wasn't sure that she could trust the cleanliness of boys yet.

"That sounds fun," Kelsie squealed with delight. The boys did not care. They were willing to do whatever as long as they could stay inside Sharpay's house. Sharpay tentatively agreed.

While Donny and Jimmie were rummaging through the kitchen cabinets, scavenging for whatever tool suited their needs, Sharpay starred down at the goopy mess inside the pink plastic bowl in front of her. The goopy material was lumpy and somewhat frigid. She really had no idea how to cook, nonetheless bake cookies. Tiara was behind her cleaning a baking sheet in the sink, while Kelsie stood across the counter from her reviewing a cook book Jimmie had found in the cabinet. Suddenly, she looked up.

"Just stir it Sharpay, be sure to get all the lumps out," she instructed.

She reluctantly did as she was told. "You know, I have never cooked before."

"That's okay, this day will not end until you have learned how to make cookies." She smiled mischievously and turned toward the two boys who were standing on the countertop behind her, looking through shelves for plates. "And that means all of you."

Donny groaned at the though of his masculinity shrinking. How would girls react to a guy who could bake desserts? Sharpay starred at Kelsie. "Do you cook?"

Kelsie's finger traced the words in the book, checking specific amounts of butter and cooking oil. "Of course I do. Sometimes my mother will do it, but every other night we take turns making dinner."

"Oh." Out of all the things that swirled through Sharpay's mind like rehearsing lines in a play, organizing her outfits, taking care of her little dog, cooking was not one of them. Someone else always took care of that daily task. Today she would have to share that task. She swiveled around to watch Tiara clean. Cleaning was also something she gladly did not ever think about doing.

* * *

"Are you sure you didn't see her," Ryan asked his fellow thespians, who were situated in the grand auditorium. They shook their heads. No one had seen Sharpay since earlier this morning. "Well, thanks anyway. See you later."

He had looked everywhere for Sharpay. He went to most of her classes, even though the day had not yet ended. It was now lunchtime. He trudged to the wildcat cafeteria in hopes of relaying his feelings to his treasured girlfriend, as well as to the rest of his friends. He had missed the incident with Troy when he ran out of the room to find out who was playing the guitar in the hallway. That was the last time he saw her. He knew that she had some classes with his friends that he did not share with them. They were his last resort.

He approached the usual table not far away from the wall of the cafeteria stairs. Troy was standing by Gabriella, she rubbed his back sympathetically. He noted that Kelsie was not with them. "What's wrong," he asked Troy automatically.

"I'm afraid I might have been a little harsh with Sharpay. I confessed to her that I basically did not have the feelings for her that she had for me," he replied. "And now everyone thinks that she might have skipped school." He sat down at a vacant seat next to Gabriella and put his head in his hands.

"You're being too hard on yourself. You didn't say this to her in a mean way, but the truth will hurt no matter how you say it," Gabriella soothed.

"I wish we would have never come up with that fake date scheme, it just hurt her more," he said.

"Well, you never know. Maybe Jimmie could take her mind off of you," Taylor replied, stuffing a spoonful of jello in her mouth.

Ryan sighed. He hoped that Sharpay would be home so that he could speak with her. No matter how much he tried, his advances did not change her isolated state, but his only solution was to keep on trying. She was his sister no matter what. She needed someone to depend on just like everyone else, but who could satisfy her standards? He doubted that even Jimmie could fulfill her heart's desire of love.

"Don't beat yourself up. She can never move on if you never set her straight," Ryan admitted. "If I know my sister, she will eventually bounce back to her normal self even if it takes a while. " Troy's heart began to ease at Ryan's words. He was her brother, so he must be right. Right?

"Unfortunately she just might bounce back meaner and icier than ever before, huh," asked Chad, who mostly ignored the conversation in favor of eating his French fries and chatting with Taylor. Everyone nodded in agreement. Little did they know, this was less and less likely to be true with each passing day.


End file.
